Some updates:

So I was contacted by the person responsible for the new system, who clarified the following points:

The system for marking off attendance online is available for 24 hours after the class from computers connected to the University network at my.lboro.ac.uk; also, it may be used even by non&hyphen;smartphone users, so neither usage of the app nor a smartphone is strictly mandatory.

If using smartphone based registration, the reason why location services are required is in order to use the iBeacons (which, despite being Bluetooth devices, are not paired peripherals). GPS is not used.

The biggest reason for recording attendance is to detect cases where a student stops attending classes altogether. The paper register system was taking too long to process in order to respond promptly, and was subject to issues of students being present whom the register never got to.

I deem this situation to be acceptable to me and, short of something else coming to light, will stop campaigning. While I cannot stop others from doing likewise, I do no longer feel that there is a need for them to do so. The original content of this page is retained below for reference, but you should bear in mind that it may not (or no longer) be entirely accurate.

Boycott the MyLboro app

Continued possession of a working, charged Android or iOS device should not be required for study.

This is not a protest against the process of tracking attendance per se, but one against the use of a smartphone application to monitor it. The aim of this protest is to demand a return to the use of paper registers for attendance monitoring through a mass refusal to use the new system, or at least the adoption of a system which mandates no hardware requirements on students beyond perhaps our own University-issued ID.

The protest itself is simple: log out from and log in as a guest to, or uninstall, or do not install, the myLboro app, and do not register attendance using the myLboro system. Your timetables can be found in-browser here, if you need them. You do this at your own risk, but it is to your advantage to get as many people on board with this as possible, and to make the existence of the cause as visible as possible to passive observers. With enough participants, and enough publicity, this will not be ignorable or suppressible.

Some reasons for opposition

As with any movement, peoples’ motivations are likely to be many and varied. Some that come to mind for me are:

Contempt for the assumption that a person of our generation must necessarily have a smartphone.

That it puts pressure not to go without owning an iOS or Android smartphone, as a permanent measure or otherwise, whether this be voluntarily or due to damage / loss / theft. Voluntary cases may include the desire to use a less distracting or longer-battery-life feature-phone, or to use a smartphone with a lower-market-share operating system, or to not use a mobile phone.

That a smartphone will run out of battery during the day, before you can substantially charge it, is a constant concern if you’re using one. This does not improve this situation at all. And before you say anything, battery saving modes will generally work by limiting background activity and limiting internet access when the screen is off, and this will likely prevent the app from working in the background.

The app’s click-through licence agreement shown prior to logging in as a student (the same one where you sign away your location data) states “If you do not agree to be bound by this Agreement please do not download, install or use the App and remove it from your device.” Sure thing.

Some may abide by a general policy of keeping location services turned off, which will not be possible if the app is to function.

Some may abide by a Stallmanist policy of avoiding all non&hyphen;FL/OS software whatsoever. While I do not abide by this lifestyle, I am in support of peoples’ rights to do so if they wish.

Why this manifesto?

If I were to refuse using the app on principle as a lone actor, this would likely have little effect other than possibly getting myself into trouble. I do not, however, perceive the introduction of this system to be positively viewed by my fellow students. With enough publicly visible adoption, enough public movement, and with the University being visibly proud of its high ratings for student experience so far, a protest having gained adequate momentum cannot simply be brushed aside.

If it be that we must advocate disobedience, then so be it. At least we would have stood for something in our lives.

Who am I

I am Thomas Hori (T.H.Hori-16), studying Chemical Engineering at Loughborough University. I got my first smartphone when I was 16½. Long before this, staff would occasionally assume that pupils, including myself and my sister, would have a smartphone e.g. for taking photographs. From this, I acquired a lasting hatred of the expectation that a person of my generation must necessarily have a working smartphone.

I do presently use one, but one which is presently damaged or defective in multiple ways. I do wish to remain at liberty to, in principle, stop using one.

Spread the word

I invite and encourage you to do your part in raising the profile and prominance of this cause, both to potential joiners and to passive observers. You are encouraged to, for example, refer people to this page, or to distribute the following poster:

You should feel by no means limited to what I’ve come up with in this regard. You may feel at liberty to create your own posters to raise awareness, for example. Also, keep checking this page for further material.